I have mentioned my Spotted Laurel (Aucuba japonica) before, and how it attracts flies and bees, and other insects as it is sited in a sunny position in my garden and the insects like to just bask under the sun, warming themselves. But just look at this spider, and see how it has tried to blend itself in with the leaf. This spider, the Goldenrod Spider (Misumena vatia), doesn’t need webs to capture its prey, but cunning and the ability to change colour, and a big pair of crab-like pincer legs.
What gets me is how it knows this is a chillzone for insects? Is it instinct? Genetic memory? Chance? Or maybe a mixture of factors? Maybe it is just basking in the sun itself. I don’t think so, because it had made itself small and blob like, until it sensed me doing his photo shoot session. Whatever it is, it is one crafty little devil.
Please click on images to enlarge.
Goldenrod Spider (Misumena vatia), rear garden, Staffordshire, April 2017.
Nature Journeys 
Wonderful questions! Amazing macro shots! The eyes are amazing!!
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Thank you very much, bkcitta 🙂 I always try to focus on the eyes, even if other parts are out of focus.
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Lovely little devil, Pete!! 🙂 🙂
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Thank you, Indira 🙂
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Very good quality macros !
love them
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Thank you, Domnuoi 🙂
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Oh! He looks scary!
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More so if you are a fly and land near him and get snatched up in those long legs! 🙂
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It’s incredible…the detail you capture!
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Thank you so much, Phoebe 🙂
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I’ve encounter quite a few crab spiders when photographing flowers but I often don’t actually see them until processing because they are so well hidden with the chameleon like ability to blend in.
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They are well camouflaged, and sometimes it is just luck that I spot them.
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Wonderfully detailed shots. You have to wonder at the natural world’s ability for camouflage.
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Thank you, Belinda 🙂 Camouflage in nature is a fascinating subject.
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Wonderful shots.
You must have eyes like a hawk to spot this one.
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Thank you, Vicki 🙂 I think over the years you kind of get attuned to seeing things, and sometimes it is just pure luck.
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I have some pics of a white spider, a similar shape to this one but with a single rust-coloured stripe either side of the abdomen. As usual I photograph things and don’t have a clue what they are! This one is quite crab-like.
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There are quite a few different species of crab spiders out there, and like this species, can be variable. Yours might be a Running Crab Spider, just a guess, without seeing.
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I’ll post it and get your opinion.
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